Welcome to CovertBody.com - A loose, fun, long term pursuit of vitality, energy, strength, and physique.

012: How to achieve the perfect fat burning cardio workout.

Are you trying to lose fat with cardio? Do you perform your cardio workouts on the treadmill or a bicycle? Then you may want to listen to why steady state cardio may be hindering you from reaching optimal health. Typical cardio routines aren’t the best method for fat loss. In...

Thin Crust Pizza Dough (Grain-free!)

The two most common obstacles for switching to a ketogenic diet? Giving up bread and pizza. Happily, I have a solution to this problem: a keto-friendly thin crust pizza dough. (Don’t worry, the keto bread recipes are coming soon.) I frequently tell people that true health is supposed to be fun,...

011: How to get the perfect workout in under 20 minutes.

STOP! You don’t need to spend an hour a day at the gym. A perfectly good total body workout can be performed in less than 20 minutes per week. This will stimulate maximum muscle growth, save you time at the gym, power up countless metabolic functions, give you lots of...

Are you trying to lose fat with cardio? Do you perform your cardio workouts on the treadmill or a bicycle? Then you may want to listen to why steady state cardio may be hindering you from reaching optimal health. Typical cardio routines aren’t the best method for fat loss. In this case, less is more. Allow me to explain why keeping your heart at a lower rate is more beneficial to your heart and health. This will also save you time at the gym! In the episode you’ll learn: How… Continue reading

The two most common obstacles for switching to a ketogenic diet? Giving up bread and pizza. Happily, I have a solution to this problem: a keto-friendly thin crust pizza dough. (Don’t worry, the keto bread recipes are coming soon.) I frequently tell people that true health is supposed to be fun, simple, and completely delicious. Pizza, quite definitively, is all three of those things. If you’re miserable from all the typical restrictions that accompany dieting, you may want to consider going keto. This clever pizza crust is loaded with high quality… Continue reading

STOP! You don’t need to spend an hour a day at the gym. A perfectly good total body workout can be performed in less than 20 minutes per week. This will stimulate maximum muscle growth, save you time at the gym, power up countless metabolic functions, give you lots of energy, and leave you more time for fun! But it has to be done the right way. Let’s talk about it. In this episode you’ll learn: High intensity strength training is the most efficient way to completely work your muscles.… Continue reading

We NEED to talk about more tips to increase your energy on a ketogenic diet! Keto is a natural, delicious way to optimize the health and function of your mitochondria – the batteries that power all your cells. In Part 2 of this episode, I want to make sure you remember that health, vitality, food choices, and life in general is supposed to be fun! If it’s not fun, you just aren’t doing it right. Let’s talk about it. In this episode, you’ll learn: External ketones are useful for keeping… Continue reading

There are several simple strategies you can implement to increase your success and enjoyment while changing over to a delicious ketogenic diet. The foods you consume are like drugs. They have a definitive chemical effect on the body. Eating great food is a sure way to boost your short and long term health and vitality. In this episode you’ll learn: Proper eating is 85% of your overall health. Fitness is 10%. Tactical supplementation is 5%. If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re not, don’t eat. The longer you give your body… Continue reading

There’s nothing like a warm bowl of soup made with fresh farm stand ingredients. This zuppa-style soup is full of delicious, high quality fats that fits perfectly into a ketogenic diet. By choosing meals that are low in carbohydrates, you’re doing your body a great favor by limiting the amount of glucose that has to be removed from the bloodstream. This allows your body to focus on other tasks that increase overall health. In addition, this zero grain meal helps eliminate inflammation inside your body, freeing up large amounts of… Continue reading

Ditching the carbs and eating high quality fats is a fantastic strategy for losing weight (without hunger), ramping up your energy levels, and improving your long term health – even though it sounds counter-intuitive. In this episode you’ll learn: Mitochondria can use fats more efficiently than carbs A ketogenic diet allows the body to easily access stored body fat to use for energy Keto also suppresses the hunger hormone, which makes losing weight much easier Fasting is a great strategy for losing weight, generating new cells, and improving energy Show… Continue reading

We’ve been told for years that carbohydrates are essential – but they’re not. There are multiple downsides of eating carbs. They’re inefficient and actually increase hunger, causing you to eat more and gain weight. In this episode you’ll learn: Carbohydrates have to be converted to sugar before they’re used for energy More carbs require more insulin. More insulin means less glucagon. Less glucagon means more hunger Long term carbohydrate consumption can lead to chronic inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes Show Notes Introduce yourself! Let’s chat. Email me at matt@covertbody.com Text… Continue reading

These delicious, crispy, ketogenic chips fall perfectly in line with a high fat diet. With less than 2 net carbohydrates per serving, you’ll be totally guilt free without resorting to greasy deep fried industrial chips. They also feature a high content of balanced omega 3 and omega 6 fats – a combination that can help increase brain productivity and boost focus, alertness, and cognition. And, thanks to the addition of flax and chia seeds, these low carb chips are laced with plenty of polyphenols – mitochondria boosting antioxidants to help increase… Continue reading

Electromagnetic frequencies from phones, wi-fi, and certain lights can change the chemistry inside your body and rob you of energy. With much of your body being driven by electrical impulses, an external electrical source (like EMF) can cause hormone imbalance, lack of sleep, and even weight gain. In this episode you’ll learn: The human body runs on electrical impulse. External electricity, in the form of EMF, can open and close electrical passageways and cause hormones and chemicals to flow into the wrong places EMFs can cause headaches, poor cognition, leaking… Continue reading

The fitness industry loves to keep you in the gym. But the truth is that you only need to go to the gym once every 10-14 days. This will get you maximum results, help with weight loss, and stimulate muscle gain. In this episode you’ll learn: How to get maximum results from much shorter, less frequent workouts Single set training is a fitness strategy, backed up science, that will quickly work your entire body Slow lifting is the only way to activate all three types of muscle fiber and stimulate… Continue reading

These delectable dark chocolate treats are not only delicious, but fall perfectly in line with a ketogenic diet – or any kind of low carb diet. It’s tough to rely on willpower alone. But with these unique chocolate-laden bars, you can happily indulge yourself while maintaining your ultimate, long term goals. After all, if it’s not enjoyable, it’s not sustainable. These low carbohydrate, high fat treats are perfect for one of those nights where cravings are persistent. But there isn’t anything in these bars that needs to be resisted. They’re… Continue reading

The ketogenic diet is an incredible way to increase energy, loose weight, and decrease your risk of chronic metabolic issues – all while enjoying high fat foods like bacon, chocolate, butter, and heavy cream. In this episode, you’ll learn: That a ketogenic diet shifts your body away from a dependency on carbohydrates to a dependency on fat Your body functions much more efficiently on fat, and can more easily burn stored fat for weight loss A ketogenic diet typically removes hunger pangs and makes you feel satiated Removing grains from… Continue reading

Sleep is one of three hyper powerful strategies to increase your energy. By changing the quality of your sleep, your body will able to use energy more efficiently and leave you feeling more awake, alert, and focused. In this episode you’ll learn: Sleep deprivation decreases your mood, executive function, motivation, and is linked to obesity Your circadian rhythm controls your interior clock by sensing light Blue light from your phone and devices chemically affects your body and keeps you awake Sleeping in total darkness, eliminating blue light, and removing EMF… Continue reading

Your mitochondria are the little batteries in your cells. If you know how they work you can make simple choices throughout the day to increase their performance and give yourself more energy. In this episode you’ll learn: Your mitochondria are the gateway to higher energy levels Increasing the efficiency of your mitochondria can increase their energy output Fasting allows mitophagy to happen – the process of replacing poorly performing mitochondria with new ones Hormesis ramps up mitochondria function for fight or flight Junk light robs your mitochondria of energy SHOW… Continue reading

Welcome to the Covert Body Podcast This is a brand new free show that’s totally backed by science. I LOVE science and reading technical studies and research papers. You don’t have to worry about the science though, because I’ll just be giving you the tactical parts without all the technical stuff. In each ten minute episode you’ll hear about a new, simple strategy that you can immediate use to increase your energy, improve your vitality, and be healthier longer. In the inaugural episode, you’ll learn: That I believe the secret… Continue reading

The Polyphenol Rescue Party is a natural energy boosting drink. I recently created this smoothie to give myself a boost of natural energy after a three month long trip that took me across Maine, Hawaii, Guam, Alaska, back to Guam, back to Hawaii, back to Maine, and then to Seattle, Boise, back to Seattle, and then finally home to Maine. Needless to say – I was completely shot. Not only was I depleted of energy from enjoying various activities and work, my body was so confused about what time zone… Continue reading

Polyphenol – Quick Summary Polyphenols are an essential component in long term health and vitality. They can boost your energy levels, improve athletic performance, have anti-aging effects, and can help deter chronic illness, cancer, and glucose instability. Found in vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, cacao, and other nutrient dense foods. 40 delicious polyphenol-rich foods you should eat regularly. Why You Should Care About Polyphenols Polyphenols are one of my favorite things to talk about. Their short and long term benefits are completely mind blowing. It makes me wonder why everyone on… Continue reading

Quick Summary Sprain recovery plays an important role in long term physical ability, and can take from six weeks to a year for full recovery. A significant number of people who sustain an ankle sprain develop long term ankle instability. Optimal short term sprain recovery studies are inconclusive. The best long term solution for sprain recovery is a combination of a strengthening plan, therapy, and a temporary physical brace. Why You Should Take Sprain Recovery Seriously According to research, 40% of people who experience a lateral ankle sprain develop chronic… Continue reading

Quick Summary A large percentage of food marketed as healthy is actually damaging our healthy eating strategies, along with our weight loss or muscle building goals. Being savvy and detecting hidden sugars in our potential food choices is a key to long term health. Higher quality sleep is directly related to our health and physique goals. Sitting has a profound effect on metabolic function and our ability to function on a chemical level. I’ve spent many years of my life dieting, using what I thought were healthy eating strategies. Not… Continue reading

Quick Summary Regularly exposing yourself to cold water can help fight depression and improve your metabolic function. It can also reduce your risk of exposure to sickness and several chronic problems. Cold water exposure can send the body into “war mode” and cause a massive boost to your mitochondria – giving you lots of extra energy. You should shoot for water temperatures that are 14 degrees celsius (57.2 degrees fahrenheit) or colder. This can typically be done in the shower or in your local body of water. An Introduction To… Continue reading

Quick Summary The negative effects of sitting are shockingly similar to those of smoking, increasing your overall mortality by 50%. Sitting can also increase your risk of some cancers by up to 66%. If long periods of sitting is common for you, you are at risk of developing diabetes and having a cardiovascular event. Your metabolic function is severely impaired from prolonged sitting. This greatly increases your risk of metabolic syndrome. The Negative Effects Of Sitting When I first read about the negative effects of sitting I was in disbelief.… Continue reading

Quick Summary The validity of performing multiple sets at the gym is not as solid as you may think. Single set training can build equal muscle strength and muscle size when compared to performing multiple sets. Increasing muscle size and muscle strength can be achieved with just one session at the gym per week. Single Set Training Basics Almost every single workout program from the modern age includes the use of multiple sets at the gym. For example: 5 sets of 6-8 reps. Alex Savva does it. Arnold used to do… Continue reading

The Benefits of Sleep – Quick Summary Chronic sleep deprivation (5-6 hours of sleep per night) causes cumulative deterioration of memory, decreases in mood, general function, and sleepiness. Lack of sleep can hinder muscle recovery AND can cause you to lose weight – but primarily from muscle mass. Sleep deprivation interrupts critical metabolic functions including the production of HGH (human growth hormone). Studies show that increased sleep (9-10 hours per night) can improve athletic performance and endurance across multiple sports. Chronic lack of sleep has been associated with obesity and… Continue reading